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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · staff · dip · pass · court · bear · chest · bound

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. clip — for paper
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. bear — the animal
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bound — obliged
  10. court — of a king
  11. staff — employees
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. clip — a video
  14. bound — tied together
  15. court — for sport
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chest — a box
  18. staff — employees
  19. chest — of your body
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bound — certain
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pass — a permit
  24. clip — to cut

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com